KA1 - Divisions Of The Nervous System And Neural Pathways

Question 1

What does the human nervous system consist of?

Answer 1

The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system

Question 2

What does the central nervous system consist of?

Answer 2

Brain

Spinal cord

Question 3

What does the peripheral nervous system consist of?

Answer 3

Nerve cells that carry information to or from the CNS

Question 4

What are receptors?

Answer 4

Receptors are groups of specialised cells which can detect a change in the environment and produce electrical impulses in response

Question 5

Give an example of a grouo of receptors

Answer 5

Snese organs contain groups of receptors that respond to specific stimuli

Question 6

What are effectors?

Answer 6

Effectors are parts of the body such as the muscles and glands that prodice a response to a detected stimulus

Question 7

Give 3 examples of effectors

Answer 7

A muscle contracting to move an arm
Muscle squeezing saliva from the salivary gland
A gland releasing a hormone into the blood

Question 8

What are the 2 parts that the leripheral nervous system can ve firther split into?

Answer 8

Somatic nervous system

Autonomic nervous system

Question 9

What is the function of the somatic nervous system?

Answer 9

To control voluntary actions such as movement of skeletal muscles.

Question 10

What neurons does the somatic nervous system contain?

Answer 10

Sensory and motor neurons

Question 11

What is the function of sensory neirons in the somatic nervous system?

Answer 11

Take impulses from sense organs to the CNS

Question 12

What is the function of motor neirons in the somatic nervous system?

Answer 12

Take impulses from the CNS to muscles and glands

Question 13

What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 13

Responsible for unvoluntary control of the body including glandular secretions, maintaining organ systems and reflex movement of skeletal muscles

Question 14

What are the 2 antagonistic systems in the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 14

Sympathetic

Parasympathetic

Question 15

What does the sympathetic system do?

Answer 15

Increases heart rate and breathing rate

Decreases peristalsis and gland secretions

Question 16

What does the parasympathetic system do?

Answer 16

Decreases heart rate and breathing rate

Increases peristalsis and gland secretions

Question 17

What are the 3 different forms that neural pathways can take?

Answer 17

Converging
Diverging
Reverberating

Question 18

What is a converging pathway?

Answer 18

Impulses from several neurons travel to one neuron. This increases the sensitivity to excitatory or inhibitory signals.

Question 19

Give an example of a converging pathway

Answer 19

Covergence of neurons from rods in the retina of the eye. The impulse sent from one rod is weak and so impulses from many rods are transmitted simultaneously and the convergent pathway releases enough neurotransmitter to carry the impulse to the brain. This increases eyes sensitivity to love levels of light.

Question 20

What is a diverging pathway?

Answer 20

Impulses from one neuron split to travel along several neurons. As a result the origional impulse is able to affect more than one destination at the same time.

Question 21

Give an example of a diverging pathway

Answer 21

Controlling several muscles in the hand so the fingers can work together

Question 22

What is a reverberating pathway?

Answer 22

Neurons later in the pathways link with earlier neurons, snesing the impulse back through the pathway. This allows repeaded stimulation of the pathway.

Question 23

Give an example of a reverberating pathway

Answer 23

Repeated stimulation of the pathway is possible for repetitive activites such as breathing